It may have been in the classroom…the school yard…on the school bus…while walking home.

In fact…

It was also likely to occur at home.

And it has to do with that one kid…

You know, the kid that others would make fun of…laugh at…and in some cases “beat up.”

But wait…

There’s one more thing…

The kid that no one believed in at all.

Whether it was the other kids…teachers…the gym coach…and even family members at home…

There was always that kid who others thought would never “make it”…would end up not going anywhere in life…or never amount to anything.

Interestingly…

This same kid…strange as it sounds…always had at least one person who did believe in them.

Think about this…

If this was you how did things turn out?

And even if you weren’t that kid back then…what about now?

Because even adults like you and I come across this as well.

With that in mind the question is…

Who believes in you the most?

1. Missing in action- What happens the moment you discover that someone doesn’t believe in you? Whether it’s a comment you hear, patterns in how people act towards you, or just a strong sense you have…what’s going through your mind?

How about this…

Does the thought of doing something about it pop into your mind?

Let’s face it…

There isn’t a person on the face of the earth who didn’t have someone…at some point in time believe in them.

The question is…what did you do about it? What action did you take to “show everyone” that you belong…that you want to be recognized in some way?

Along with that, one thing is certainly obvious…

Every person who ended up succeeding…that had people who didn’t believe in them did one of two things…

They either “showed them” in the area of life that no one believed in them.

Or…

They got good at a different area and “showed them” that way.

However…

In either case…while people were still doubting them…they were quietly doing something about it.

I call it being “missing in action”…

Because the action they were taking “behind closed doors” wasn’t seen. And then all of a sudden you see this person “appearing out of nowhere”…right?

How many times have you seen this with someone?

And then everyone says, “I can’t believe how he/she got so good because when we were kids growing up he/she was quiet…shy…and didn’t seem like the type.”

Sound familiar…right?

What’s also familiar in each of these situations is that this person…the one nobody believed in…unknown to just about everyone…had that one person who did believe in them and was always on their side.

2. Inches, yards, and miles- It’s been said that “by the inch it’s a cinch” and “by the mile it’s a pile.” What does this mean…and what does it have to do with people believing in you?

The person no one believed in…that started quietly going about their business “behind closed doors”…taking little action steps while nobody was paying attention…they know what this means.

Because they approached it using the mindset of “by the inch it’s a cinch”…meaning that they were “chunking things down” and taking “baby steps.”

And they were methodically doing this…chipping away…even though people still didn’t believe in them.

Let’s take a look at you.

When faced with people not believing in you…what is that you’re taking “quiet action” on that you can “chip away” at?

What is it that you love doing…that you can do all day and still feel alive and inspired?

Because when you’re doing whatever that is…what others say about you will just “roll of your back”…it won’t bother you even when they don’t believe in you.

In fact…

This will inspire you and is likely to be something you’ll thrive on.

And it goes back to what you hear me say frequently…

No matter what you do you’ll have people supporting and challenging you…praising and criticizing you…liking and disliking you…believing and disbelieving in you.

And the second you “get this”, you’ll “chunk things down” and come from the mindset of, “by the inch it’s a cinch.”

As result…

Those “little things” you do that seem like they’re taking forever—according to others that are looking from the outside in—are actually speeding up the process and before you know it you’re getting done 5 years worth of stuff within a few months.

And while this is going on…you have that one person who has believed in you all along.

3. Believer deceiver- This is uniquely strange. Earlier I mentioned about those who didn’t believe in that kid you knew while growing up…whether it was the other kids…teachers…the gym coach…and even family members at home.

What’s strange here is…the one person who believed in that kid…when no one else did…is quite often any of these people…sometimes even the same person.

Along with this…

There’s always one person who does believe in you…even when it seems like no one else is.

That person is you.

At some point it will seem like no one believes in you. At times that person may even be you.

However…

Like I said earlier…when you see that no matter what you do in life you’ll get people supporting and challenging you…people believing and disbelieving in you…you’ll “stick with it” and keep moving forward.

It doesn’t matter if no one…or very few people believe in you because as long as you do that’s all you need.

In fact…

This reminds me of one of my favorite quotes:

“I’d rather have the entire world against me instead of my own soul.”

Remember…

It’s what’s inside of you…your soul…that dictates how your life turns out. It’s also your soul that believes in you when it seems like no one else does.

Even though at times it may seem like the world is against you…just know that you always have you on your side…your true self.

Along with your true self is the uniqueness of who you are.

And it’s your uniqueness that allows you to stand out and be the special person you are.

Therefore…

The next time you have someone who doesn’t believe in you…quietly thank them…and then thank yourself for who you are and all that you do.